The bus route franchising initiative is set to miss its deadline of launching 200 buses on three new routes in Dhaka from September 1.
The Bus Route Rationalization Committee (BRRC) has so far managed to obtain fewer than 80 buses for two routes, but even these buses have not been assembled yet due to the recent reintroduction of load shedding to conserve fuel.
“The launching of 200 buses for three routes from September 1 is not possible,” said Shabiha Pervin, executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and member secretary of BRRC.
On Tuesday, a meeting was held at Nagar Bhaban to discuss the progress of the franchising initiative. A DTCA official who attended the meeting told Dhaka Tribune: “Bus owners did not respond promptly to calls to invest under the franchise model, so it is likely that two new routes will be opened with around 80 buses instead of three routes with 200 buses.”
The state-owned bus operator Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation(BRTC) will run more than 50 double decker buses on route number 26 (Ghatarchar-Postagola/Kadamtoli).
According to the DTCA, Hanif Enterprise, a private bus company, is expected to contribute nearly 30 buses (40-seat each) for route number 22 (Ghatarchar-Demra Staff Quarter). However, the company is yet to assemble its buses as the work was interrupted by load shedding.
“After getting buses from BRTC and Hanif Enterprise, the new routes will be launched by mid-September,” said Shabiha Pervin.
DSCC Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas said: “Two passenger sheds are to be constructed at Shahbagh as a dropping point from where metro rail passengers can take the bus service easily and go to other destinations comfortably. Due to the metro rail, it will take us some time to construct these two passenger sheds. We will open these two passenger sheds and bus-bays once the metro rail work is completed.”
Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas was speaking after visiting the bus stop on an experimental route in the area adjacent to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University at Shahbagh on Wednesday.
The bus franchise plan was taken up in 2015 to bring about discipline in the public transport system. It was the brainchild of Annisul Huq, the late mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation. The government formed BRRC in 2016 with the aim of restoring order in Dhaka’s public transport and reducing traffic congestion.
However, the implementation of the new initiative has been delayed for several reasons, especially related to problems with bus owners or investors.
On December 26 last year, Dhaka Nagar Paribahan started experimentally from Ghatarchar in Keraniganj to Kanchpur in Narayanganj.
Buses under Dhaka Nagar Paribahan cannot be boarded without a ticket. These buses do not stop everywhere, and passengers have to board the bus from specific stops.
The service quickly became popular, but was interrupted once Trans-Silva, a private bus company, reduced the number of buses on the fleet as it was facing losses.
Later, in March this year, the BRRC again issued a circular to find bus operators for three more routes under the franchising system, but the committee got a very poor response.
According to the BRRC, 50 buses were supposed to run on route 22, 100 on route 23, and 50 on route 26. All the buses on these three routes would be newly acquired.
Hanif Enterprise is the only private company that has agreed to operate buses under the new system.
“Bus owners will invest once they have prospects of making profits. If the authority can ensure profit, the private bus operators will share buses under the new system,” said Khandaker Enayetullah, general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association.
Prof Shamsul Haque, a prominent transport expert, said: “Bus operators do not have any idea about the standard operations of a system in a city. As such, international tenders should be floated for hiring bus operators from abroad to bring about discipline in the transport system.”
According to DTCA, the number of bus owners in Dhaka is more than 2,000. There are more than 200 bus routes in and around Dhaka.
